Here Are The Top Pet Names For 2021 & The COVID-Inspired Ones Are Hilarious

COVID-19, vegan food, celebrities and Disney+ are among the many places pet owners are taking inspo from to name their furry friends in 2021.

Rover, a Seattle-based company that allows users to buy and sell pet care services, released its ninth annual rundown of the most popular names for pets in 2021.

It looks like all the time spent at home and a surge in adoption rates has got people coming up with some pretty creative pet names.

Trends for 2021

Don't be surprised if you meet a dog named "Fauci" soon as the name, which first gained popularity back in 2020, went up 270% this year, followed by "Covid," which went up by 35%.

It may also come as no surprise that the name "Zoom" went up by 443%, given the amount of time people have spent on the video conferencing platform since the pandemic began.

Pet owners also drew name inspiration from streaming platforms like Disney+. Many people named their pets "Grogu" after The Mandalorian, with the name up by 4,000%. Rover says this year also saw the first dog named "Lady Whistledown," inspired by the hit Netflix show Bridgerton.

"Each year our annual top pet names report showcases what cultural moments made an impact and clearly, the pandemic was a big factor. From sports to the TV shows we binge-watched, our pets' names were shaped by a truly unique year," said Kate Jaffe, a trend expert for Rover. "With the continuation of work from home, our bonds with our pets have grown even deeper."

Significant pop culture moments also served as inspiration for the names people chose for their pets. Rover reports that this was the first year it saw pets named "Britney Spears," likely owing to the "Free Britney" movement.

Similarly, the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman boosted the name "Chadwick" by 400% as a cat name, while "Boseman" went up by 1,063% as a dog name.

Possibly the cutest dog name trend of all from 2021 is the one inspired by a meatless diet. The three most popular "meatless pet names" were "Bean(s)," "Tofu" and "Almond."

The most popular names

Although people came up with some interesting names, according to Rover, the most popular female names for dogs in 2021 were Bella, Luna, Lucy, Daisy, Zoe, Lily, Lola, Bailey, Stella and Molly. In comparison, the most popular male names for dogs were Max, Charlie, Milo, Buddy, Rocky, Bear, Leo, Duke, Teddy and Tucker.

Similarly, the top female names for cats in 2021 were Luna, Bella, Lily, Lucy, Nala, Kitty, Chloe, Stella, Zoe and Lola. The top male names were Oliver, Leo, Milo, Charlie, Max, Simba, Jack, Loki, Ollie and Jasper.

According to Rover, the top dog name of 2021 in the U.K. is "Luna." The country also saw a spike in the adoption of pups named "Teddy," from the show Love Island, while "Boris," inspired by the British PM, saw a decline.

The top pet names of 2021

These are the top pet names used globally:

1. Bella
2. Luna
3. Charlie
4. Max
5. Lucy
6. Daisy
7. Bailey